On August 4, 2020, a catastrophic explosion devastated the port of Beirut, Lebanon. The disaster was caused by the detonation of approximately 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored in a port warehouse for six years. The sequence of events began with a fire in a warehouse adjacent to the one containing the ammonium nitrate. The fire spread, leading to a series of initial explosions, and then the massive detonation of the ammonium nitrate stockpile at 6:08 PM local time.

Pope Leo has prayed with survivors of the 2020 Beirut explosion at the end of his trip to Lebanon. On the site of the blast, the Pope blessed emotional survivors of the disaster which killed over 200 people. CNN Vatican Correspondent Christopher Lamb reports. https://cnn.it/3MaeCh3 | CNN